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Kudos
Success means different things to different people. While almost everyone sees some advantage in survival, others see it merely as a means to an end. Some Sanctioned Ops spent their youth in the PZ, watching action vids about the Outlaws and the threat they pose to American civilisation. They see their careers as positive measures in the struggle to hold on to what's left. The media corporations are happy to foster this attitude as an investment in the future. Other, often more experienced, Ops don't think the battle lines are that clearly defined. Most Outlaw gangs are out to get whatever they can, but motives and ambitions differ from gang to gang. What most Outlaws share in common is a battle for survival outside the safe web of corporate-manipulated PZs. Some just want a little territory, in NoGo or beyond, where they can make the best of their existence. They don't want to contribute to a system that has leeched the planet dry and they will fight for whatever they have managed to achieve, whether it be an old shack they can use as a garage for their vehicles or a route to a food supply. Other Outlaws know that if they're strong enough they can wield power. And why shouldn't they? The corporations do whatever they need to in order to get whatever they want. If another Outlaw gang has something they can use, they'll go in there and take it. They don't want to know if there's a future unless they feature prominently in it. Their attitude provides inspiring material for media types and so they feed the system in spite of themselves. Survival breeds success by its very nature. It takes hard work, has some advantages, but, of course, brings new problems. A driver who survives a few engagements has to prove his right to continue to survive. KUDOS POINTS Successful Ops and Outlaws attract the attention of the media and, consequently, the public. Kudos points are a measure of their media visibility. This degree of visibility largely depends on how long the character has been around, what he has done, and how flamboyant he is. Every driver will earn kudos points, if he survives long enough. They are the inevitable by-product of a driver being able to drive down a stretch of Interstate without anybody stopping him. Famous Ops can make sponsorship deals, bringing in an additional income or cutting the costs of equipment and maintenance. Notorious Outlaws can use their fearsome reputations to get hold of equipment more cheaply on the black market, to demand higher protection fees and generally make more of their criminal activities. Both sides will attract attention from the TV vulture stations in the process, with the advantages and disadvantages that brings. Each driver's kudos should be calculated in the kudos phase of every contract sequence. Kudos is a combination of how long the driver has been operating as a roadfighter, measured by mileage, and his eccentricity. Mileage The longer a driver has been in the roadfight business, the better known he is. Each driver earns 1 kudos point for every 10 mileage points he's accumulated. So, for example, a driver with 24 mileage points has 2 kudos points. If the driver has less than 10 mileage points, he earns no kudos points at all - the effects of eccentricity are ignored and no roll is made for media visibility. 'Eccentricity' The driver's mental and physical condition can have an effect on his accumulation of kudos points. The media may find certain character traits attractive for publicity purposes, and others counter-productive to their needs. The effects of eccentricity factors should be applied every time a driver re-calculates his kudos point level. Eccentricity factors are cumulative and compulsory. MEDIA VISIBILITY The driver's total kudos points {ie mileage points divided by 10 and rounded down, plus modifiers for eccentricity) determine his status as a media personality, according to the following table. Having determined a driver's media visibility, the driver may take advantage of it, if he wants to, by making rolls on one or more of the Media Tables as instructed. These rolls are made at the player's discretion - the driver isn't forced to roll on these tables if he wants to avoid the added stress and problems that fame can bring. 'Obscure' The driver is hardly known and gains no special advantages. 'Known' Many people can half-remember the driver's name when they hear it, without knowing why they remember it and without being able to put a face to it. Roadfight buffs know the driver's name and most of his professional history. If the driver fought in this contract sequence, roll one dice. Respected The driver is reasonably well-known. A significant proportion of the general public know something about him. If the driver fought in this contract sequence, roll one dice. : 1-3 Nothing out of the ordinary happens. 4-5 Roll once on Media Table 1. 6 Roll once on Media 18ble 2. Famous The driver is very well-known. Most people are aware of his name and most recent exploits. If the driver fought in this contract sequence, roll one dice. : 1 Nothing out of the ordinary happens. 2-3 Roll once on Media Table 1. 4-5 Roll once on Media Table 2. 6 Roll once on Media Table 3. Star The driver is a household name. His exploits are known and talked about by everyone and he is sought after by the media and other groups. If the driver fought in this contract sequence, roll one dice. : 1 Roll once on Media Table 1. 2-3 Roll twice on Media Table 1. 4 Roll once an Media. 7Bble 2. 5 Roll twice on Media Table 2. 6 Roll once on Media Table 3. Living Legend The driver is numbered among the all-time greats. His name is on everyone's lips and he's guaranteed to boost the ratings of any vulture station or chat show on which he appears. If the driver fought in this contract sequence, roll one dice. : 1 Roll once an Media Table 2. 2-3 Roll twice on Media Table 2. 4-5 Roll once on Media Table 3, 6 Roll twice on Media Table 3. MEDIA TABLES If a driver decides to take the rolls to which his media visibility entitles him, consult the following tables. If the driver has the option of taking two rolls, he can take the first and then decide whether or not to take the second. Note that there are different results depending on whether the driver is an Op or an Outlaw (Renegade Ops roll as Outlaws). For every roll the driver makes on a Media Table in this contract sequence, he must add + 1 psychosis point to his total in the psychosis phase of the next contract sequence. Careful record keeping is recommended. 'TV Appearances' The Op receives the sum indicated for appearing on chat shows and/or vulture station roadfight programmes. 'Magazine Interview ' A magazine such as Lifetime or Roadfighters runs an article on the Op, with an extended interview and action halo-feature. The Op receives the indicated fee. 'Advertising Deal ' The Op receives the sum indicated from a corporation in return for having that corporation's logo or product name prominently displayed on one or more of his vehicles. 'Free Weapons ' The Op receives weapons of his choice, to the value indicated, from an armaments corporation. In return, the Op either makes an advertisement where he endorses the company's products or displays that company's logo on his vehicle. Reloads and special ammunition can be chosen if weapons themselves are not required. If any of the equipment requires installation, it is fitted·free of charge. The amount shown must be spent on weaponry - any remainder is wasted, it may not be sayed. When a number of items is mentioned instead of a sum, the Operative tmay have this many weapons of his choice, each with a double loading facility, if desired, and a full load of ammunition. The ammunition type and ix may be chosen by the Op. Free Equipment The Op chooses items of equipment - other than weapons - from a manufacturing corporation. In return, the Op makes an advertisement in which he endorses that company's product by displaying the company's logo on his vehicle. If any of the equipment requires installation, it is fitted free of charge. The amount shown must be spent on equipment - any remainder is lost, it may not be saved or banked. When a number of items is mentioned instead of a sum, the Op may choose that number of items, regardless of cost. 'TV Rights' A TV company makes the offer shown for the TV rights to the Op's name and life story, which will be turned into a top-rating mini-series with leading 'Screenstars!' Royalties A publishing company offers the Op a sum to have a ghostwriter pen his autobiography - a sure-fire bestseller! 'Extra Protection' The Outlaw gang's increasingly fearsome reputation enables them to force more protection out of their territory. They set the indicated sum in addition to the results of their loot test for this contract sequence. 'Organised Crime' The gang is contracted to do a few 'odd jobs' for a local organised crime outfit. In return they receive the indicated sum. 'Vulture Backhander' The gang is given a payment by a vulture TV station in return for setting up a raid or a roadfight for transmission on demand. 'Black Market Credit' The gang's reputation has spread well into the black market and they are able to negotiate certain discounts and favours amounting to the sum given. This money may only be spent on weapons and equipment. Anything left at the start of the next contract sequence is lost. 'TV Documentary' The gang is made the subject of a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary, something that always makes popular viewing in the PZs. In return for their co-operation they receive the indicated sum from the TV company's slush fund. THE PRICE OF FAME As well as the financial advantages, success has a price. Being firmly in the public eye can expose you to all sorts of cranks, most of whom are employed by media corporations. These rules cover the less welcome things which fame may bring. Once per contract sequence, after making any rolls on the Media Tables, roll one dice for each driver who has 10 or more mileage points. For every time a driver rolled on a Media 78ble, add + 1 to the score on the dice. On a roll of 1-5 nothing unusual happens; on a roll of 6 or more, make one roll on the Media Manipulation table. 'High Visibility' The Op is watched wherever he goes and has great difficulty in moving undetected. Treat his drive skill as 2 points lower for the purpose of making his next approach roll. 'Blackmail' An unpleasant secret has surfaced from the Op' s past. He must pay $10,000times his current kudos score to keep it covered up. If an Op can't or won't pay, roll 2 dice to determine the cost to the Op in lost kudos points. 'Investigation' A complaint has led to the Op being investigated by the authorities. He may not take part in an engagement during the next contract sequence. Roll one dice; on a score of 4 or more, he loses his license and must either retire or become a Renegade Op {ie an Outlaw). The player may subtract -1 from the dice roll for every $10,000 spent on bribes. This money must be spent before the dice is rolled. An experienced driver will not leave an agency because of suspension during investigation. 'Compensation' The Op is sued by relatives of someone who was killed in one of his previous engagements. He must spend$ 5,000 times his kudos score in legal fees, and miss the next contract sequence in court. Roll a dice: on a result of 4-6 the Op loses the case, and suffers an extra $100,000 costs and loses 2 dice of kudos points. Each $10,000 the Op spends on bribes subtracts -1 from the· dice roll. This money must be spent prior to the dice roll being made. If the Op loses the case and cannot afford to pay compensation, he loses his license and must either retire or become a Renegade Op. An experienced driver will not leave an agency because he's in court. 'Libel' The Op become the subject of a libellous article, book or programme. The Op must spend $ 5,000 times his kudos score on bribes or legal fees in an attempt to prevent publication or broadcast. If the Op can't or won't fight the case, the scandal costs him 2 dice worth of kudos points. 'Assassination' Someone tries to assassinate the Op. Roll one dice: the Op is killed on a roll of 1. 'Organised Crime' The gang comes to the notice of organised crime, which decides that these upstarts may be getting too big to be left at large. It costs $10,000 multiplied by the highest kudos score in the gang to convince them otherwise. If the gang cannot or will not pay, it must disband immediately {ie none of the vehicles or drivers from that gang can take any further part in the campaign). 'Member Killed' One gang member is killed in a brawl with a member of a rival gang or a brave citizen. The gang loses the member with the lowest drive skill. It may not recruit a replacement until the end of the next contract sequence. 'Vigilante' The gang is being stalked by a crank vigilante intent on dealing out his own form of justice. Roll one dice for each character. On a roll of 6, the vigilante kills that character. New recruits can only be brought into the gang at the end of the next contract sequence. Irrespective of how successful the vigilante is in his mission, he will not return to haunt the gang again, though another vigilante might if the gang is unfortunate enough to roll this result again. 'Internal Feud ' The gang is split by internal dissention and leadership disputes. Roll one dice for each gang member: on a roll of 1 that driver leaves the gang, taking his vehicle and other equipment with him. Those who leave are given to the next player in a clockwise direction {or the other player in a two player game), who may form them into a new gang if he wishes. The new gang will be arch-enemies of the original gang.